


Always Be With You

by Lunarium



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Birthday, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Missing Scene, Post-Episode: s02e08 The Blade of Marmora, heritage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-22 01:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12470100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: Keith sneaks away from a meeting to tend to an injury sustained during the trials of the Blade, and Shiro goes to help him. Today also happens to be Keith's birthday.





	Always Be With You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Starrie_Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starrie_Wolf/gifts).



Shiro caught up with Keith just as he was about to disappear behind the doors of his private quarters. He had almost missed the moment Keith slipped away from the group. 

The conversation with Kolivan and Antok had moved over to the lounge, to a space wide enough that Kolivan and Antok could sit and be observed from every angle by Allura and the rest of the team. Shiro wasn’t certain about treating them with such distrust but the action was not wholly unusual, especially not for Princess Allura. Even after Ulaz’s sacrifice, she had struggled with seeing him as an ally; and though as much as it hurt Shiro, as he had that Galra to thank for his life, he could also understand where she was coming from. 

Thankfully, Allura’s behavior was thawing the longer the conversation went. It helped that Kolivan’s demeanor was serious and kept his words as straightforward and to the point. No matter how much Allura searched for any hidden meaning in his words, it was to come up with nothing to give reason to suspect him of foul play. 

In time, hopefully they all would realize the Blade of Marmora were much-needed allies, Shiro thought. If they were to win this war, more people on their side would were necessary, even Galra. And thankfully, it seemed this meeting was heading towards the right direction. 

And at some point during this interrogation, Keith had slipped away, and all without Shiro seeing him. 

When Shiro finally took notice, confusion first filled him before worry settled in. He excused himself politely and left through the same doors Keith presumably had used. 

His lover’s retreating form was a tiny mark down the hall. Shiro caught up to him quickly but he did not call out Keith’s name until Keith’s hand was on the door of his rooms. Shiro’s stomach gave a lurch when Keith suddenly pulled back his hand and rested it on his shoulder, right over the area that had been struck during the trials. His helmet was tucked under his free arm, and the closer Shiro got, the more clear the pained look on Keith’s face became. 

“Keith?” 

“Shiro?” Keith said, glancing up with wide eyes as if he had done something wrong. Shiro raised both hands to show he was fine. 

“I noticed you weren’t with us, and I wanted to check up on you,” Shiro said. He motioned towards Keith’s shoulder. “Is it hurting badly?” 

“Yeah, a bit.”

“Do you need help dressing your wound?” 

Keith gave him a small smile that did not reach his eyes. “I’ll be fine.” He stepped inside and Shiro followed in. Keith tossed his helmet onto his bed and reached to remove his armor before grimacing. 

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked softly. 

Keith bit his lower lip, fighting back a tear as a sudden sharp pain shot through him. “Can you…?”

Shiro didn’t need him to finish. He removed Keith out of his armor chest piece, unhooked his gauntlets, and gently lifted up the black mesh top over his head. He set each item neatly next to the helmet on the bed. 

“It didn’t hurt when I changed out before we came back here,” Keith said. 

“You must have injured yourself more when you were getting into your paladin armor,” Shiro said as he studied the fresh blood over the healing wound. “Were you in a hurry?” 

“I guess?” Keith said. “Must have gotten a little reckless. Everything was happening so fast.” 

Shiro gave a curt nod and set to work. Each of their private quarters held a small first aid kit for minor injuries, for the occasional cuts and sprains. As each room was identical, Shiro knew where to retrieve Keith’s kit before rejoining him by his bed. While it would ideally be better for Keith to be seen by Coran or Allura, for now this would do. While avoiding causing his boyfriend more pain, Shiro traced around the site of injury before apply the antiseptic, noting as Keith’s body tensed. 

“It’ll sting for a bit,” Shiro said. 

“This is worse than what we used back home,” Keith grunted. 

“Well, you don’t know what sort of disease-causing microorganisms reside on these alien planets,” Shiro said, smiling. “You don’t know what our bodies have grown accustomed to and what could still kill us. You have to cover all your bases.” He glanced up and noted the tears welling up in Keith’s tightly shut eyes. He quickly wiped them away as if he knew Shiro had seen them, but Shiro suspected the pain from his wound wasn’t fully to blame for the tears. Knowing how Keith could get, Shiro decided against approaching the subject matter right in this moment. 

He resumed his attention on Keith’s wound, working diligently in silence until he had the wound fully cleansed and dressed. The pained expression on Keith’s face had still not abated. He had barely spoken a word but gazed out as if he could peer through the walls of the castle to some point far across the universe. 

He didn’t even budge when Shiro announced that he was done. 

Moving gingerly, Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist and laid a kiss on the back of his neck. 

“Do you know what today is?” he asked. 

Keith nodded. “October the twenty-third. You were keeping count?” 

“We have to,” Shiro said. Pidge had adjusted their phones so that their clocks would be in tune with the Altean measurements of time, which was followed by most planets they had visited. But to prevent themselves from feeling too cut off from Earth, they also kept with their former clocks. It was as easy as switching from one format to the other. They often did this during downtime, just out of curiosity. And wonder whenever a special date had passed, what had happened back home, if everyone else had survived their finals, if the graduating class got to enter on any space explorations yet. 

And to keep track of their birthdays. 

Keith gave a short laugh. “I guess I was hoping my mother would show herself. Something to make the day a little more meaningful. I wanted answers. I had a vision…of Dad…while I was in there. I had the option of staying inside the shack or leaving through the door. If I had waited I would have found more about her, but I left through the door.

“I don’t know how much of a good birthday gift this is. I now know more than I ever did about myself and what my mother was. I just…wish I saw my mom.” 

The last few words drew out low and soft, almost a whisper that Shiro almost missed. He pressed himself closer, tightening his embrace while being mindful of Keith’s injuries. 

“Maybe in another year you’ll meet her?” Shiro said. “She could be on some important mission for the Blade, and the rest don’t know she had a son.” 

He immediately silently berated himself for those words, realizing how he might sound to Keith. “I didn’t mean that…you don’t know what brought her to our planet, what she was doing there, or how long she stayed. We still don’t know much about Galra culture; maybe she didn’t want to tell them in order to protect you? Maybe the Blade shouldn’t have families because of the risks involved? Maybe staying with your dad was the safer bet.” 

“You’re right.” Finally, a small smile shown on Keith’s face. “There are so many reasons for her absence, I just have to trust she didn’t hate me the moment I came out of her. But this is a start, isn’t it? I’m one step closer to her. And it’s not like I’m not home already, with the team. With you.” 

Chuckling, Shiro nuzzled against him. “That’s the spirit! Now, seeing as this is your birthday…I know Hunk will gladly indulge you on any kind of cake you want! And it’ll be a wonderful treat to have in our first meeting with Kolivan.” 

The laughter shook Keith in Shiro’s arms. “Can you imagine Kolivan in a party hat?” 

“He will look amazing, I’m sure! I’ll ask Coran to put on him, just for you!” 

Keith’s beaming smile — how beautiful he was when he smiled! — was short lived as another matter took hold. 

“Allura will find out about me,” he said. 

Shiro turned him around so that he was cupping Keith’s face in his hands. He leaned in and captured his lips into a long kiss, tasting the saltiness of the drying tears on his lips. When they at last pulled away, Shiro traced his lover’s lips with a warm finger before giving it a tiny playful tap. 

“We will deal with whatever comes,” Shiro said. “If it startles her, it will not last long. She’s suffering. Remember these are the people who took away her entire world, but you are a Paladin of Voltron and one of her most trusted friends. And if things get bad — no matter what happens — I will always be by you.” 

Keith squeezed his hand and brought it to his lips to kiss. 

“Thank you, Shiro.” 

He helped Keith back into his paladin armor, taking care not to reopen his wound. When they were set, they left Keith’s rooms, hand in hand, and returned back to join the others.

⁂

Soon enough, plans of defeating Zarkon took a backseat as talk turned towards what sort of cake Keith would like. And balloons in the shapes of animals that once inhabited Altea and other worlds floated in the ballroom, courtesy of Coran and Lance, the latter who was busy introducing Coran to the art of balloon animals. It was difficult to gauge who was failing worse at it, but at least they preoccupied themselves and shared a few laughs along the way. 

Keith stood beside Shiro as he smiled shyly before Kolivan and Antok, who both appeared vaguely confused by the sudden festivities but, after learning for the reason, took the moment to congratulate him on surviving for another year. 

Keith laughed and winked at Shiro. 

“Good to be around,” he said and took Shiro’s hand.


End file.
